by Klaus Kinski

Patrice O'Neal

As you may have heard, comedian Patrice O'Neal passed away this morning after suffering a stroke back on October 19th. The news of the stroke first reared its ugly head a week after the actual incident when comedians Jim Norton, Colin Quinn, Robert Kelly, Rich Vos and Keith Robinson confirmed it on the Opie and Anthony radio show on October 26th. As he had survived the stroke, there was always the hope that the big man would somehow pull through. Unfortunately, he lost the battle. Patrice was an absolutely brilliant comedian, respected by both the indie comedy community and the more mainstream comedy folks. He had an absolutely expert knack for presenting you with controversial material in such a playful way that he always managed to avoid coming across as controversial for the sake of being controversial. He was such a charming and magnetic presence that it is incomprehensible that he's gone at 41 years of age. To the uninitiated, do yourself a favor and spend some time on youtube. And to the medical experts who will no doubt rear their ugly heads any second now, I say "Fuck you, troll" in advance. RIP Patrice.

by Bill Pearis

After 20-plus years of pulling, packing & shipping orders all over the world, and serving Champaign-Urbana area music fanatics' needs locally, we're sad to announce we're pressing pause on Parasol Mail Order and our record store.

PMO's last day of regular operation will be Saturday, December 17th. Between now and then we will be putting our existing mailorder/store stock on sale, so if ever there was a time to buy music for the holidays, this is it!

It goes without saying (but we'll say it anyway) that we owe all of you a huge THANK YOU for your support over the years. It's meant a lot, and will continue to as we re-boot the franchise.

In happier news, Hidden Agenda and Parasol's other in-house labels -- home to The 1900s, Elsinore, New Ruins and many more -- will continue to operate.

by BBG

Ken Russell with model Twiggy

Ken Russell, the director behind the Oscar-winning Women in Love has died aged 84. Russell died on Sunday in his sleep, according to his friend, the arts writer Norman Lebrecht.

Known for a flamboyant style developed during his early career in television, Russell's films mixed high and low culture with rare deftness and often courted high controversy. The Devils ... a religious drama that featured an infamous scene between Oliver Reed and Venessa Redgrave sexualising the crucifixion - was initially rejected by Warner Brothers. It will be released in its entirety in March next year, 42 years after it was made, when it will form part of the British Board of Film Classification's centenary celebrations.

Women in Love, released in 1969, became notorious for its nude male wrestling scene between Alan Bates and Oliver Reed, while Tommy, his starry version of The Who's rock opera, was his biggest commercial success, beginning as a stage musical before being reimagined for the screen in 1976. But Russell fell out of the limelight in recent years, as some of his funding dried up and his proposed projects became ever more eclectic. He returned to the public eye in 2007, when he appeared on the fifth edition of Celebrity Big Brother, before quitting the show after a disagreement with fellow contestant Jade Goody. -[The Guardian]

Continue reading "Director Ken Russell, R.I.P."

Robert Franklin as Santa @ South Street Seaport last year (more by Chris La Putt)

The South Street Seaport will ring in the holiday spirit on Friday, November 25th when the 28th Annual Seaport Chorus Tree Lighting Spectacular lights up the cobblestone streets of the Seaport's Historic District.

TODAY Show personality and fashion expert Jill Martin will host one of New York City's most beloved holiday traditions, with a 40-foot tree serving as the centerpiece of a seven-minute "Sparkle at the Seaport" light show spectacular. Festivities will kick-off with performances by the Darren Wallis Jazz Trio and the Soul Tigers Marching Band. All-male barbershop chorus, The Big Apple Chorus, will perform seasonal favorites, and costumed characters will help Santa Claus countdown to the tree lighting ceremony. To round-off the evening, Ronnie Spector will give a special performance, making it a night to remember for the whole family.

Ronnie Spector is also having the "Best Christmas Party Ever!" at the Cutting Room in NYC on 12/16 and 12/17...

This year the beloved tradition of twenty five years continues at the new Cutting Room located at 44 west 32nd street in Manhattan.

You can expect all the big Christmas hits-and Ronnie has the largest catalog of Christmas classics of any recording artist including 'Sleigh Ride' (#3 past decade) and 'Frosty the Snowman' (#17 past decade) along with her Ronette hits and cult classics. But what makes Ronnie's Christmas Party so special and endearing is her off-the-cuff patter and her childhood remembrances of Christmas and Santa in New York .

As the New York Times observed, "It's hard to think of a more appealing angel to welcome the holiday season than Ms. Spector."

Them Crooked Vultures at Coachella 2010 (more by Rachel Carr)

Father of two Robert McIndoe, 52, was unable to sleep for three months after going to a rock concert that left him with a permanent ringing in his ear. He was watching supergroup 'Them Crooked Vultures' at Brixton Academy.
In the coming months Mr McIndoe faced an uphill struggle to to get proper treatment for the condition, Southwark Coroner's Court heard.
His wife eventually received a letter of referral to a hospital ear, nose and throat specialist on November 1 last year - the day after he apparently killed himself.
Shirley McIndoe told the hearing that the day after the gig last July, her husband was "cross with himself" for not taking ear plugs.
She said: "When it first happened he wasn't too bothered about it because he thought it would subside, and the friend he had been with also had ringing in his ears that day.
"But it was a constant irritation.
"He didn't get a night of sleep after that until he went to hospital."-[Telegraph]

Bush Tetras

Laura Kennedy, the original bassist and co-founder of seminal no wave band Bush Tetras who has spent the past 12 years living in Minneapolis, passed away on Monday afternoon.

Kennedy was diagnosed nearly two decades ago with Hepatitis C, a "scourge of an illness" she once wrote she believed she contracted in the '80s while living and playing in New York. Born in Cleveland, she moved to NYC in the late '70s and eventually made her way to the Twin Cities 12 years ago to live with her girlfriend. Complications from the disease eventually led to liver failure, and after a long wait and struggle she received a liver transplant in November of 2008 at the University of Minnesota. Shortly afterwards, friends from throughout the local punk community rallied to help her pay her astronomical medical bills, and in January of 2009 Bush Tetras reunited to perform their first Twin Cities show in 25 years with support from the Suicide Commandos, David Thomas of Pere Ubu, and Skoal Kodiak at a fundraiser at Nick and Eddie. -[CityPages]

Laura Kennedy R.I.P..

Laura may be gone, but her legacy will live on in burners like "Too Many Creeps" and "Can't Be Funky" which you can watch/listen to, below....

Continue reading "Laura Kennedy of Bush Tetras, R.I.P."

by BBG

Rap legend Heavy D -- one of the most influential rappers of the '90s -- died earlier today ... Heavy D -- real name Dwight Arrington Myers -- was rushed to an L.A. hospital around noon today ... and was pronounced dead at the hospital at 1 PM. He was 44 years old.

We've learned a 911 call was placed from Heavy's Beverly Hills home around 11:25 AM to report an unconscious male on the walkway .

When help arrived, we're told Heavy D was conscious and speaking -- and was transported to a nearby hospital.

He died a short time later. - [TMZ]

R.I.P. to the "overweight lover", who was responsible for many staples on 90s R&B/Hip Hop/Pop radio. He also introduced the world to one of the greatest producers of the era, his cousin Pete Rock.

Check out some videos of Heavy D below including one from a few weeks ago on the BET Awards, his first performance in many years.

Continue reading "R.I.P. Heavy D"

Flattus Maximus (right) in Chicago on 10/31 (more by Carmelo Espanola)

Metalsucks is reporting that Cory Smoot, aka Flattus Maximus has passed away:

It is with a sense of profound loss and tragedy that the members of GWAR must announce the passing of their long time guitarist and beloved friend Cory Smoot, also known to thousands of metal fans worldwide as Flattus Maximus. Cory was found deceased this morning as the band prepared for a border crossing. There is no word as to the cause of death and the members of GWAR are completely shocked and devastated that this has occurred. At this point there is no word on arrangements and the disposition of the remainder of GWAR's current North American tour, nor are there any details regarding long term plans. At this point we are just dealing with the loss of our dear friend and brother, one of the most talented guitar players in metal today. We ask that our fans and the media be respectful of our request for privacy for those that have suffered this terrible loss. A full statement will be coming in the next day or so, in the meantime please give your thoughts and your prayers to Cory, his family, and all the people that love him.

-Dave Brockie-

Gwar played Irving Plaza in NYC back on 10/23. Cory's third to last show was on Halloween in Chicago (his last was last night in Minneapolis). More pictures from the Chicago show are HERE

R.I.P. Cory Smoot, your humor, stage prescence, and contribution to one of the most theatrical bands ever will be missed..

"Spent Bruar Falls' last set spilling whiskey and untangling toilet paper from around my head. Clouder, appropriately spooky, killed it." - Sydney Brownstone

Goodbye @BruarFalls I'll miss you. Parting shot. (Bill Pearis)

After announcing its closure exactly a month earlier, Williamsburg music venue Bruar Falls hosted its final show on Halloween, the last night of October. RIP Bruar Falls.

Share your memories in the comments.

by BBG

Siege in 1984

Siege was an American punk/Thrashcore band from Weymouth, Massachusetts. They were active in the 1980s Boston hardcore scene from 1983 to 1985, and reunited briefly in the early 1990s.
Siege's form of intense hardcore incorporated fast tempos together with vocalist Mahoney's screeches and growls... Siege formed in 1983 in Weymouth, Massachusetts. The band's original lineup consisted of vocalist and saxophonist Kevin Mahoney, guitarist Kurt Habelt, bassist Hank McNamee, and drummer Rob Williams. Mahoney was from Braintree, while the rest of the band was from Weymouth...

In 1985, Siege was scheduled to play their first show in New York City at CBGBs with The Necros. Mahoney did not show up for the gig, and Siege disbanded shortly after. Williams later formed the band Nightstick.
In 1991, Siege reformed with Anal Cunt frontman Seth Putnam on vocals. They recorded a demo tape from which only 1 track has so far been released, appearing on the 13 Bands Who Think You're Gay Compilation LP. Ironically, their track "Life of Hate," with original singer Mahoney, denounces homophobia. Siege disbanded again the following year. [Wiki]

Now just months after the passing of Seth Putnam, comes word from multiple sources that vocalist Kevin Mahoney has also left this mortal plane. No word yet on the cause of death, but his legacy will never die.

RIP Kevin Mahoney. Siege videos below...

Continue reading "Kevin Mahoney of Siege, RIP"

"dreamt i died in chicago next weekend (heart attack in my sleep). need to write my will today." - Mikey Welsh, 9/26/11

"Mikey Welsh, most famously known as the bassist for the rock band Weezer, died unexpectedly Saturday, according to the band. He was 40.

The cause of death was not immediately known.

Darryl Baety, a Chicago police spokesman, said that officers responded at 1:45 p.m. Saturday to a call from the Raffaello Hotel regarding a guest who had been scheduled to check out, but had not.

After first knocking on the door, hotel personnel entered and found someone who was "unresponsive and not breathing," according to Baety.

Police are conducting a death investigation related to the case, pending autopsy results, Baety said.

According to Welsh's official website, he was a painter before he made the the shift to music at age 19. A decade later, he had achieved fame as the bassist for the band Weezer, replacing the band's longtime bassist Matt Sharp.

Welsh was part of the band's 2001 "Green Album" release, which featured "Hash Pipe." The single became one of the band's biggest hits, peaking at No. 2 on Billboard's Alternative songs chart." [CNN]

BDP's By All Means Necessary

Amid some big changes in the music industry, new RCA Records CEO Peter Edge and longtime colleague Tom Corson, who was promoted to president and COO in August, have officially shuttered historic labels Arista and Jive. J Records, launched by Clive Davis in 2000 as an "instant major," will also see its artists bequeathed to RCA.

"The path we've taken is to refresh RCA, so we're going to retire those brands," Corson tells The Hollywood Reporter in a new interview. "There may be a reason down the line to bring them back, but it's a clean slate here."

Jive Records, run by Barry Weiss for nearly 20 years, was home to multi-platinum pop stars Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake. Arista was founded in 1974 also by Davis, who signed Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin and Barry Manilow to the label. In recent years, it saw releases by Usher and Pink. All artists will now fall under the RCA Records banner.

The sad news spread quickly last night. Everyone knew he was sick, but that didn't make it any easier to comprehend. Every single person I told, or who told me, had a major reaction. Apple says:

Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to know and work with Steve have lost a dear friend and an inspiring mentor. Steve leaves behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple.

Bert Jansch @ The Bell House, December 2010 (more by Benjamin Lozovsky)

Scottish folk musician Bert Jansch, a founding member of the band Pentangle and a well-known guitarist in his own right, has died at the age of 67.

Jansch, who had cancer, passed away in the early hours of Wednesday morning at a hospice in Hampstead, north London.

Born in Glasgow in 1943, the musician recorded his first album in 1965 and his last, The Black Swan, in 2006.

Between 1967 and 1973 he was part of acoustic group Pentangle, best known for their 1970 hit single Light Flight.

John Renbourn, Jacqui McShee, Danny Thompson and Terry Cox were the other original members of the band, whose albums included Basket of Light and Solomon's Seal.

The group reformed in 2008 after receiving a lifetime achievement honour the previous year at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards.

As a solo artist, Jansch received his own lifetime achievement accolade at the same event in 2001.

He last performed, with Pentangle, at the Royal Festival Hall on 1 August. [BBC]

Continue reading "Bert Jansch, RIP"

Sad news:

It is with great sadness and a touch of disappointment that Nick and
Andy Bodor from Cake Shop are announcing the closing of Bruar Falls,
our sister venue in Williamsburg.

After two and a half quick years, Bruar Falls will cease to exist on
November 1st 2011. We opened with nothing but optimism and
excitement, after designing and building our ideal combination of a
local jukebox bar with a stage to showcase all the great bands coming
out of Brooklyn. It was soon apparent to us, however, that people in
Williamsburg have lots of other options to see bands. We love and are
inspired by these places, but really, between loft/warehouse parties
and D.I.Y spots, where you can bring in your own cheap beer, smoke
inside and hit on the same people...we totally understand why it's hard
to spend money at your local legit small club. It is difficult not to
be a bit jealous of their freedom, but we have always worked hard to
be in for the long haul.

Our closure is not a victim of Whole Foods' bulldozers, nor did we get
our sound equipment stolen by thieving assholes. Actually, we wish it
was something that dramatic and awful. No, its due to the classic
creative differences issue, plus the fact that we had to maintain a
hard-to-honor midnight curfew; and the simple fact that if you can't
bring in enough money to pay your bills (no matter how low your rent
is), you can not stay in business. At this point, it is actually way
easier to shut down, save the name for another location, and start anew.

We created Bruar Falls to assist in nurturing the Brooklyn independent
music scene, and help the bands that continually inspire us. We hoped
to serve as a Williamsburg outpost for the bands that enjoyed the NYC
Cake Shop experience in the borough where many of them live. We
wanted a place where fledgling bands played for free to get started
and be seen by their peers before maybe going on to bigger rooms and
more pay. Many larger-stature bands played here to intimate crowds to
help keep everything in perspective. We hold most every band that
played here close to our hearts.

Of course, Cake Shop will continue with your help, we are now better
than ever: we are developing our ongoing filmed-band series,
"Cakeshop Presents" on www.cake-shop.com (which you can check often
for new videos). We will be starting "Cakeshop/Capeshok Presents"
bills at larger area clubs, featuring Cake Shop graduates. Our
partner and us are close to announcing the Cake Shop club experience
to another area of the world (location TBA) in late 2012.

So... Thank you to every single band that ever graced our stage.
Thanks to each and every crowd member who paid for those bands, thanks
to all who sweated through their shirts when the AC was busted. And
huge thanks to the incredible local and touring talent that played for
peanuts all in the name of art, rock & roll, and a good time.

Please support Bruar Falls the entire month of October for our last
CMJ Music Marathon, and crazy Halloween closing-night parties. We
want everyone to take a few last glances at the club, but we really
need your help to get out of debt. Both Nick and Andy have been
working for free to keep Bruar Falls going as long as we could, and we
have many bills that need to be paid so that we can walk away...We
will be offering drink specials and hoping to secure only the best
bands in our final month.

Continue to check www.cake-shop.com, for what we will be up to next.
Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to learn about upcoming secret shows
and drink deals...and thank you for your endless support for anything we
love enough to attach our name to.

Meanwhile go see a show there while you can!

"Sylvia Robinson, a singer, songwriter and record producer who formed the pioneering hip-hop group Sugarhill Gang and made the first commercially successful rap recording with them, died on Thursday in Edison, N.J. She was 75." [NY Times]

Continue reading "Sylvia Robinson, RIP"

"We lost our brother. No words."- Chromeo

"Damn...RIP MEHDI" - Drake

DJ Mehdi @ the Mad Decent Block Party 7/30/11 (more by Erez Avissar)

Tragic news this morning... Resident Advisor reports:

According to reports, French electronic artist DJ Mehdi has died.

Details at this point are extremely scarce, though it has been said that the DJ and producer fell to his death from a mezzanine along with two friends, both of whom have been hospitalized. Paris Social Club posted this message on its Facebook page this afternoon: "Following the death of DJ Mehdi, we have made the exceptional decision to close the club tonight. An evening of silence in honor of the artist. Thank you for not commenting on this status."

Mehdi Favéris-Essadi was born in 1977 in the suburbs of Paris. He got his start as a hip-hop producer, and found his signature sound by combining the style and attitude of hip-hop with elements of electro and house. Arguably his most important break came in 2006 when he released his album Lucky Boy on Ed Banger Records, the Parisian label that would be his home for the rest of his career. Over the years he collaborated with the likes of Daft Punk, Cassius and Chromeo. His most recent project was a collaboration with Riton called Carte Blanche.

DJ Mehdi is survived by his wife, the French model and artist Fafi. Our thoughts are with his friends and family at this time.

Continue reading "DJ Mehdi reported dead (RIP Mehdi Favéris-Essadi)"

Mike Stoller, Elvis Presely, and Jerry Leiber

Songwriter and record producer Jerry Leiber, who penned hits for Elvis Presley, Ben E. King and the Coasters, died in a Los Angeles hospital Monday. He was 78.

Leiber paired with Mike Stoller in 1950, when both were 17 years old, to form one of the most prolific songwriting teams of the day. Their hits were jukebox staples through the 1950s and 1960s.

"He was my friend, my buddy, my writing partner for 61 years," Stoller said. "He had a way with words. There was nobody better. I'm going to miss him."

Elvis took their song "Hound Dog" to the top of the charts in 1956. The tune was No. 19 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time," which came out in 2004.

The team also wrote "Stand by Me" for Ben E. King, "Kansas City," which was made famous by Wilbert Harrison, "On Broadway," top singles for the Drifters and George Benson, and a string of hits for the Coasters, including "Young Blood," "Searchin'," and "Yakety Yak."

Dozens of other artists from country to blues to R&B and rock recorded their songs.
Leiber, along with Stoller, was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1985 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. [CNN]

Nick Ashford died in a NY hospital on the same day.

Check out some Jerry Leiber (and Mike Stoller) videos below...

Continue reading "Jerry Leiber, RIP"

Nick Ashford, who along with wife Valerie Simpson helped set the gold standard for R&B duets, both as songwriters and performers, died of throat cancer Monday in a New York hospital. He was 69.

Ashford & Simpson -- you can't think of one without the other -- penned and produced almost all of the '60s hits for Motown's Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, including Ain't No Mountain High Enough, You're All I Need to Get By, Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing and Your Precious Love. They also wrote hits for Chuck Jackson, The Shirelles, Maxine Brown and the Fifth Dimension.
Ray Charles' 1966 No. 1 R&B hit Let's Go Get Stoned was their breakthrough record. They would later write and produce Diana Ross' biggest solo hits, including her signature Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand). They also wrote Chaka Khan's I'm Every Woman, which was later recorded by Whitney Houston. [USA Today]

Continue reading "Nick Ashford of Ashford & Simpson, RIP"

"As has been rumored for weeks, Manhattan Media is shutting down the New York Press and reviving Our Town Downtown, starting September 1. The weekly publication-a magazine/community newspaper hybrid, according to the press release-will focus on news, politics, real estate and the arts in lower Manhattan. A 20,000 copy run will be circulated below 14th Street.

The New York Press will live on in name, sort of. The arts section of Our Town Downtown will be called New York Press, and nypress.com will be expanded in the fall to aggregate news and content from Manhattan Media's ten titles and other local news sources." [NY Observer]

"Jani Lane, the former lead singer of the metal rock band Warrant, has died in Los Angeles. He was 47.

Officer Sara Faden says Lane's body was found Thursday in a Woodland Hills hotel. She had no immediate information on the cause or circumstances of his death.

With his long blond hair and tight leather outfits, Lane embodied the excess of 1980s metal rock bands. He joined Warrant in 1984 and wrote such hits as "Heaven," "Down Boys" and "Cherry Pie." [AP]

Continue reading "Warrant's Jani Lane dead at 47"

by BBG

Eric Stevenson, former drummer of the acclaimed Massachusetts-based heavy rock band ONLY LIVING WITNESS, died on Monday, August 8 after a five-month battle with melanoma, a type of skin cancer. He was only 46 years old. He leaves behind a son, Thomas, aged six.

Stevenson (also ex-FORMICIDE) co-founded ONLY LIVING WITNESS in 1989 with singer Jonah Jenkins (MILLIGRAM, RAW RADAR WAR).

ONLY LIVING WITNESS' two studio albums, "Prone Mortal Form" (1993) and "Innocents" (1996), were reissued through Century Media in 2006. -[Blabbermouth]

Video of Only Living Witness live below.

Continue reading "Eric Stevenson, RIP"

Conrad Schnitzler, prolific German musician who was in early lineups of Kosmische (or krautrock, as the genre became known to English-speaking audiences) groups Tangerine Dream and Kluster, passed away due to [stomach] cancer on August 4. He was 74.

Schnitzler appeared on Tangerine Dream's first album, 'Electronic Meditation,' and he was a founding member of seminal krautrock group Kluster, along with Hans-Joachim Roedelius and Dieter Moebius. Three albums were released under the Kluster name before Schnitzler left in 1971 to work with his other group, Eruption. Moebius and Roedelius continued on as Cluster and actively recorded and toured on and off until 2010.

Joe with Flower Travellin' Band during SXSW 2009 (more by Jacob Blickenstaff)

Popular singer Joe Yamanaka died of lung cancer Sunday morning at a hospital in Yokosuka, Kanagawa prefecture, a music industry source close to him said. He was 64.

Known as the vocalist of the rock band Flower Travellin' Band, Yamanaka also pursued a solo career as a singer and as an actor, appearing in the 1977 movie "Ningen no Shomei" (Proof of the Man) and singing its theme song, which became a hit tune.

Yamanaka made public in March last year that he had been diagnosed as having lung cancer. -[The Mainichi Daily News]

by BBG

Eugene McDaniels, a singer who had several hits in the early 1960s and who later such Top 40 hits as "Feel Like Makin' Love" and "Compared to What," died Friday at his home in Maine after a brief illness, according to his official website. He was 76.

Gene McDaniels, as he was known early in his career, had hits with such songs as "A Hundred Pounds of Clay" (1961), "Tower of Strength" and "Spanish Lace" in 1961 and 1962.

McDaniels' songs, including those he wrote for other artists later in his career, jumped from jazz to blues to ballads to gospel and could be laced with cultural criticism and political protest, like his bluesy hit "Compared to What," recorded live at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1969 by pianist and singer Les McCann and saxophonist Eddie Harris.

Roberta Flack's rendition of "Feel Like Makin' Love" hit No. 1 on the Billboard charts in 1974. It has since been covered by numerous artists.

Later in his career, McDaniels became a producer for, among others, organist Jimmy Sm ith and singers Nancy Wilson and Merry Clayton. He also did voice-over work in video games and audio books. -[JSOnline]

R.I.P. Eugene McDaniels. Your records will live on forever.

Listen below...

Continue reading "Eugene McDaniels, RIP "